Brussels (dpa) – Germany and the other European Union member states could be required to provide assistance at Denmark’s request in the event of a violent conflict over Greenland, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday.

The comments came after inconclusive talks between US and Danish officials in Washington on Wednesday.

Greenland is part of the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO member, and therefore in principle falls under the mutual solidarity clause in Article 42(7) of the EU treaty, the spokeswoman told dpa.

At the same time, she emphasised that the question of applying it is not now on the table since a military confrontation with the United States is considered very unlikely because presumably no one would take on the world’s most powerful military power.

US President Donald Trump wants to incorporate the vast, resource-rich island into the United States, saying the US needs to own the country for its security needs, which he sees as being threatened by China and Russia.

The Europeans want to convince Trump that Greenland can be best protected within NATO.

Following unsuccessful talks in Washington on Wednesday to resolve the Greenland dispute, EU states including Germany announced they would send troops to the island for a mission in support of Denmark.Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, has accused NATO of seeking to militarise the Arctic amid the US demands. He said Copenhagen was pursuing a confrontational approach by involving NATO, driving a rise in military tensions in the Arctic. (15-16 January)

Brussels (dpa) – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled on Wednesday details on how the European Union is to support Ukraine with 90 billion Euro over the next two years, including 60 billion Euro to bolster the military.

“We all want peace for Ukraine and for that Ukraine must be in a position of strength,” von der Leyen said in Brussels, weeks before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The loan package is to provide “stable and predictable funding” and “reaffirms Europe’s unwavering commitment to the security, the defence and the future prosperity of Ukraine,” von der Leyen said.

Two-thirds of the funds are earmarked for military support.

Ukraine is required to spend the money on Ukrainian and European-built equipment but can acquire weaponry from abroad if the needed equipment is not available in Europe, von der Leyen said.

“With the military assistance, Ukraine can stand strong against Russia and, at the same time, it can integrate more closely into Europe’s defence industrial base,” she said.

The remaining 30 billion Euro is meant to support Kyiv’s budgetary needs but are tied to further reforms in the areas of democracy, rule of law and anti-corruption measures.

The conditions are “to make sure that Ukraine moves forward on its path of accession to the European Union” and are “non-negotiable for any financial support,” the Commission president said.

Von der Leyen said she hopes the first disbursement to Kyiv can be done as early as April, once the European Parliament and capitals have scrutinised the proposal. (14 January)